New york Times videos

Today we were introduced to the video section New York Times website. I think that having a place to put videos on the website is a good idea because it is another way for people to share information. It is also a more interesting way of doing journalism because you can add music and sound.

Invisible children

When I first learned about the invisible children I was shocked. I had no idea that children were living in horrible conditions and being captured and forced to become soldiers in Africa. No one had ever really talked about it. That is why the invisible children documentary is so important.These three guys are getting the message out there about what is happening. By more people knowing about the situation in Africa, more people can help and get these children the help they need. That is another reason why I liked the Invisible Children video so much, they are not only making people more aware but they are giving people ways to help and get involved.

Annie leibovitz

One photographer that I found very interesting was Annie Leibovitz. She has been called one of the "most celebrated photographers". Her photos were first published in rolling stone magazine in 1970 then in 1973, she began working as a photographer for the magazine full time. Later, she got a job taking pictures for Vogue and still works there today. What I like most about her photos is how she captures people emotions and personalities in them. You can really get a feel for what someone is thinking or feeling at the time the picture was taken.

Raed Jarrar

Yesterday in class we had a guest speaker to come talk to us about media communications. His name was Raed Jarrar and he really opened my eyes to what media communications really is. It is not really about what you're writing but who it gets to. It's about getting your information to reach mass amounts of people whether it's over the internet, television or any other way you choose. I found it really interesting to see how much work you really need to put into getting your information seen and hearing about a thing called alternative media. I never really heard much about it but it seems pretty cool that there are people out there who don't agree with what the media reports and are getting there alternative views out there.

finishing "A day in the life"

Yesterday I finally finished taking pictures for my "A day in the life project". At first it was pretty hard to have to think of things to take pictures of so I just took a bunch of whatever I could. I probably took to many but I guess it's better to have more to work with. It should be fun to put them together and learn how to use IMovie.

A day in the life project

So far I think my "a day in the life" project has been going pretty good. This week I have been taking pictures of anything I can think of that has to do with my life. Yesterday I took pictures of some friends and the path at the bottom of my street because I either see it or walk down it everyday. Also, I took pictures of some random things that mean something to me such as my friend's closet that I always take clolthes from or the box I keep my jewlery in. This weekend I hope to get some better pictures because now I'll have some more time to take pictures of things like my room and stuff I like to do on the weekends. I am also going to visit my dad at his house in Waltham this weekend so I can get some pictures of him and things I like to do when I'm there.

Banksy

In class yesterday we asked to get some information on a graffiti artist named "banksy". His real name is not known for sure but his artwork is known by many. His work has been seen all around London, sometimes seen as art and other times as vandalism. I personally thought his work was very thoughtfull and original. I loved the way he took something out of life then made it into art by showing what he thought about it. Vandalising a Paris Hilton cd was one example of this. He got a bunch of Paris Hiltons cds, doctored the pictures and replaced the cd with a cd featuring remixes with titles such as "Why am I famous?". He even got them back into the store having them bought by many before the owner ever noticed.
This week I have been working on my "a day in my life project". Yesterday I decided to take pictures of some of my favorite places I go, such as dunkin donuts. I also took some pictures of places I see everyday just as I'm walking around such as shortcuts I take and street signs I see. I got some pictures of some of my friends too and I'll get some more pictures this weekend.

TV

I ussually don't watch a lot of tv because up untill about two weeks ago I didn't have cable. When I didn't have cable I would ussually just watch reruns of seinfield or that 70's show because without it there's really not much to choose from. It never really bothered me though because my favorite tv shows are LOST and Family Guy and they are not even on cable. Also I've just never watched that much tv unless I am really bored or it's late. I guess it is good to have cable though for those days like yesterday. It was very rainy so I decided to come home early because the bottom of my pants were soaked and my sweatshirt was cold and damp from walking home from school earlier that day. It was kind of nice to be able to just put on sweatpants, lay down and watch tv.

September 11

On September 11, 2001 I was in the fifth grade. I remember sitting in class when the principle called my teacher to dismiss one of the kids in my class. Nobody had thought anything of it untill five minutes later another student was called down, then another. After about ten minutes more then half the class had been dismissed. Nobody knew what was happening but we knew something had to be wrong. It wasn't long before my brother and I were dismissed. I'll always remember walking down to the main entrance hallway and seeing it just filled with students and their parents. Everyone looked concerned and eager to get their kids home. That's when I saw my mom and she told my brother and I what had happened. I may not have fully understood the situation at the time but I do remember being scared. As she told us about the attacks on the World Trade Center I remember for some reason imagining planes in the sky and a part of me didn't even want to walk outside. When I got home and turned on the tv it was unlike anything I had ever seen before. Every station was playing the same thing, coverage on what had happened. I still remember what I was doing that day like it was yesterday and I don't think I will ever forget.